On Never Losing Hope
Meet Nilda Sarayda Palacios, 39
Today: Health worker, the San Francisco Department of Public Health
Life behind bars: Nilda was 17 when she was convicted and sentenced. For 17 years, Nilda served time behind bars, ending up in prison and sentenced to 27-years-to-life for killing a man who was abusing her physically and very cruelly and emotionally during the time she was homeless. She wasn’t allowed to bring into court evidence of abuse.
Beginning again: Nilda was released in 2017 from the California Institution for Women in Chino, CA. Her sentence was reduced to involuntary manslaughter, and she was given credit for time served. For 16 years prior to that, she spent 16 years in Central California’s Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, the largest women’s prison in the state.
First thing she did when she was released: “I went to the beach and wrote ‘freedom’ in the sand.”
In a name: Nilda’s name comes from the Greek word that stands for “Warrior
Woman.” It’s a name her Guatemalan mother picked for her after a niece who died early, and her mother says, is meant to conjure up the image of a woman always having to face challenges all on her own. As she grew older, Nilda changed her name for a while to “Emily,” her brother’s middle name. In prison she had to abandon both names and was referred to as an identification number.
Moving on: Life after being behind bars: “I do self-nurturing and self-care by focusing my energy and time on things that are interesting to me. I’m also mindful of my five year parole plan and not allowing myself to be deterred from completing the plan objectives.”
Mantra and mission: “Do not lose hope, engage in persistent prayer, and rely on your unwavering faith. My overall message is to be kind to others as you may never know when you’re entertaining angels, remain consistent in reaching for your dreams and don’t give up no matter how difficult things may seem.”
How she’s redefining herself: “I’m reconnecting with the community, working
on being more spiritually grounded and more open to learning things I didn’t know about myself.
Favorite book: The Notebook, by Nicholas Sparks an intensely romantic book—a novel about the everlasting power of “true love.”
Her Good News: In the five years Nilda has been working tirelessly to have her dream come true — to own her own home. She set a goal and worked every day toward it. In August, she purchased a three-bed, three-bath home in Pittsburgh, CA, where she lives with her new partner, and dog, Milo. Over the Labor Day weekend, she hosted a weekend-long celebration inviting her whole family over.